The police are investigating two alleged sex attacks on teenage girls in the same park.

Officers in Derry say they are working with council staff to ensure St Columb’s Park in the city is safe in the wake of two 17-year-olds reporting that they had been attacked.

The police say there is no link between the attacks and a 15-year-old boy has already appeared in court charged with rape over one of the incidents.

They say the first alleged incident occurred on Friday with the “second report” received on Sunday night. A 20-year-old man was arrested over the second incident and has been been released on bail pending further enquiries.

In a statement issued last night the PSNI said there is “no link between these incidents and in both cases detectives were able to locate and quickly arrest suspects”.

Superintendent Gordon McCalmont added: “As those cases are now subject to the legal process, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further however it is not the case that people frequenting St Columb’s Park should be alarmed or reluctant to visit.

“Local police work closely with park wardens and other relevant statutory agencies on an ongoing basis to try to ensure the park is a safe environment for all. We will meet with our partners in the coming days to collectively examine how we can continue to improve in this area and if extra measures can be implemented.

“The park forms part of our regular patrols and officers carry out frequent checks of the area when they not responding to emergency calls or providing assistance to the public.”

A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council confirmed that the Council would work closely with the PSNI to ensure the park remains a safe area for the public.

St Columb’s Park in Derry

Earlier yesterday, a 15-year-old student appeared at Derry Magistrate’s Court charged with raping a 17-year-old schoolgirl in St Columb’s Park on Friday night.

Members of the youth’s family were in court for the hearing before District Judge Oonagh Mullan. The youth denies the rape charge.

A detective constable in the PSNI’s Child Protection Unit told the Court that the girl had told the police that she went to the park at 6.30pm on Friday night with friends. The court heard that in the park she drank half a bottle of vodka and a quarter bottle of rum and that by 10.30pm she was drunk.

The hearing was also told she met the defendant, whom she knew, and they went for a walk together.

The girl said the defendant kissed her on the neck and tried to pull down her tights. She asked him to stop but he pushed against her and they both fell into bushes where he allegedly raped her.

The police witness said because of her drunken condition the girl could not fight the defendant off. She said after the alleged rape one of the girl’s friends went looking for the defendant but could not find him. The friend then phoned for a taxi to take the girl home.

The detective constable said two police officers who spoke to the girl said she was in pain, crying and upset. Her tights were torn around her crotch area and they were twisted and hanging below her denim skirt.

The two police officers also saw what appeared to be thorns on the backs of her lower legs and skirt and there were small blades of grass attached to her torn tights. She also had nettle stings to her legs and multiple injuries to her upper thighs, buttocks, back and wrists.

The detective constable said the defendant was interviewed by the police twice over the weekend. In his first interview he said he had consumed four bottles of beer but that he was not drunk.

He said he knew the girl and knew she was drunk and told the police that she had sustained her stings and injuries after she had fallen down a slope because of her drunken condition.

The youth denied raping the girl and in his second interview he said there had been sexually touching with her after they had engaged in sexual activity to which she had consented. He admitted straddling her chest and touching her on the chest and in the genital area.

The police witness said: “He said he then told her to fix her clothes and said she was not upset but quiet.”

The officer said when asked by the two police officers if the girl had consented, the defendant replied “she didn’t say no”.

Opposing bail the police witness said the girl’s statement was “consistent with the suspect leading a drunk girl off by herself to rape her”.

She said more witnesses had yet to be interviewed and she believed the defendant could interfere with witnesses. She also said the forensics element of the police investigation was at an early stage.

Applying for bail defence solicitor Tom McClafferty said the forensic evidence would take months to complete and it would therefore be unjust to remand the defendant in custody pending the outcome of that evidence.

Derry Magistrates Court

Mr McClafferty said the defendant was willing to abide by any Court imposed bail conditions, including living outside of the city.

The District Judge said she was “concerned about the safety of this defendant given what has been said in Court today”.

She released the defendant on his own bail of £200 together with a cash surety of £500 until his next Court appearance on May 23.

As part of his bail conditions the defendant was banned from consuming alcohol and from possessing a mobile phone. He was also ordered to live at an agreed address outside of the city and not to enter within the 30mph zone except for court appearances. He was additionally ordered not to contact any witnesses in the case.

The District Judge said she was not ordering the defendant to be electronically tagged because if the tag was seen by his school colleagues that could identify him and lead to the possible identification of the girl.